


I'm Keeping Your Dog as Collateral.

by stellarparallax



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Coma, Fluff and Angst, Hospitalization, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-08 08:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11643048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarparallax/pseuds/stellarparallax
Summary: The sun was shining brightly, the clouds were pale and fluffy, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue; and literally none of it mattered because Yuuri was P A N I C K I N G. He trusted Phichit’s judgement on a lot of things like where to eat or what not to wear out, but he had never taken his advice for asking someone out. His knees were bouncing so hard against the underside of his desk that it was bound to leave a bruise. He could barely focus on the words splattered across the monitor of his computer because every line he read was punctuated with a quick glance through the glass doors of the Student Services building.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution for the [Catfish Prompt Party](https://catfishpromptparty.tumblr.com/) for the prompt "A While You Were Sleeping AU? Yuuri works in some public service job, where he nurses a crush on Handsome Stranger with the Cute Doggo he sees every morning. An accident happens; Yuuri saves Handsome Stranger's life, Yuuri follows unconscious Handsome Stranger to the hospital, a nurse overhears him wistfully mutter, "I was gonna marry him." Now Vitya's in a coma, everyone's convinced Yuuri's Vitya's secret fiance, the entire Russian Skating Fam is overwhelming, and Yuri's suspicious." 
> 
> I decided to make it multi-chaptered because I'm switching POV for chapter 2 and I'm not sure how to do that in a one-shot without it sounding weird. The next chapter will likely be posted after my last prompt fill, which is already in the works.

“Phichiiiiiiit,” Yuuri whined, “Do you think he likes katsudon? Should I make some for him? Do you think he’d like that? I think he would. I think he’d also like some raspberry and white chocolate muffins to go with that. I’m sure he likes sweet stuff. It’s not possible for someone who’s a literal ray of sunshine to not like sweet things. Phichit, do you know where the recipe for-”

“YUURI,” Phichit shouted, then sighed, “You’re my best friend and I love you but I have HAD IT with your headcanons. If you like him, ask him out. It really is that simple.”

“What, like with my own voice?”

“Yes?”

“What if he hears me?”

“OH MY GOD, YUURI, JUST DO IT ALREADY.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“How is it not simple? He walks through the university with his standard poodle every morning. He wears a tan trench coat that you can spot from a distance. His hair is silver. Yes, I remember those details because you’ve only told me like half a million times. You work at the university. You could ask him out any day of the working week of your choosing,” Phichit grabbed Yuuri by the shoulders, “Listen, one of us hasn’t graduated yet and has a thesis to write. Please ask him out, if nothing but for the sake of my sanity.”

Yuuri let out a low whine and threw himself onto their shared sofa. 

 

* * *

 

The sun was shining brightly, the clouds were pale and fluffy, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue; and literally none of it mattered because Yuuri was P A N I C K I N G. He trusted Phichit’s judgement on a lot of things like where to eat or what not to wear out, but he had never taken his advice for asking someone out. His knees were bouncing so hard against the underside of his desk that it was bound to leave a bruise. He could barely focus on the words splattered across the monitor of his computer because every line he read was punctuated with a quick glance through the glass doors of the Student Services building. 

Finally, he decided to step outside for some fresh air that he hope would calm his nerves. He glanced over at the nearby pedestrian crossing and he shook his head disapprovingly at the jaywalking students.  

He perked up upon hearing the pleasant barks from the stranger’s dog, which he had learnt were distinctly different from any of the other dogs he’d met. He turned around and saw the beautiful man that he had spent the last few months pining for. He was struggling with the leash that his dog was on, and was clearly losing the battle. Yuuri didn’t think that his heart could swell any more. Suddenly, the dog jumped onto the road.

When it happened, it happened quickly, but also slowly. Yuuri’s body moved before his mind could even comprehend what was happening. All that he observed happened in slow-motion -- he heard the screeching of tyres against the asphalt, he smelt the burning of rubber and he saw how close the love of his life was to leaving that world. So he ran towards him and threw himself onto him, barely missing the oncoming truck.

When Yuuri finally regained his composure, he gasped as he slowly got off the limp body beneath him and started to sob. He had taken a first-aid class and he knew that he shouldn’t move someone who potentially suffered a head or spinal injury, in spite of how much he wanted to cradle him in his arms and kiss him until he woke up. His hands were trembling as he reached for his phone in his back pocket.

“One-zero-three, what’s your emergency?”

“I… I pushed someone out of traffic but now he isn’t moving.”

“What is your location?”

“The pedestrian crossing in front of the Student Services building at St. Petersburg State University.”

“An ambulance will be with you shortly. Please remain calm and stay with him.”

“...Okay,” Yuuri whispered before taking his phone away from his ear and hanging up.

 

* * *

 

Luckily, the man had his identification card on him, allowing the nurses access the man’s medical history. His name was Viktor Nikiforov. Yuuri couldn’t help but find it ridiculous that even his name sounded sexy. There was nothing flawed about the man, he thought, and he had probably just killed or at least severely injured him. He paced around the waiting room anticipating getting kicked out because he wasn’t related to Viktor. Except, it never happened, which only served to confused him.

“Mr…,” a doctor started gently as he approached Yuuri.

“Katsuki. Please, just call me Yuuri.”

“Yuuri, your fiance doesn’t seem to have gotten any lasting injuries from the impact of his head hitting the curb, but he’s still unconscious. Sometimes, the shock from an injury regardless of how harmless is enough to put patients in a coma. Right now, all we can do is monitor his vitals and hope for the best.”

“That’s… That’s good news, right?”

“We’re hoping.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but if the wedding is coming soon, you might want to postpone it for at least a year. Even if he regains consciousness before the big day, he may not be strong enough to walk or even sit up.”

“Thank you… Wait, what?”

“One of the nurses heard you say that you were going to marry him. I’m sorry all this happened. We’ll try our best to help.”

Oh. Oh no.

 

* * *

 

Phichit looked up from the screen of his laptop, taking in a deep breath to brace himself for the impact for what he knew was about to follow, “Let me get this straight -- I told you to ask him out and you got engaged to him?”

“We’re not engaged, Phichit! I just… He… Aaaah It’s complicated.”

Phichit’s fingers tapped on Ctrl + S. He shut down his laptop and put it away, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get any more work done for the rest of the night. 

“Why can’t you just tell the nurses and doctors attending to him that you aren’t actually his fiance?”

“I’d feel terrible leaving him there all by himself. What if he doesn’t have any family? What if his dog is the only one he has in the world?”

“Clearly, the best way course of action is to pretend to be his soon-to-be husband and abduct his dog,” Phichit sighed.

“So you understand?” 

As if she were responding to Yuuri’s question, Viktor’s dog barked enthusiastically.

“Yuuri… Haaa, what am I going to do with you…”

“I really don’t think it’s such a bad idea! The minute he wakes up, I’ll stop coming. He never has to know.”

“Okay, so who are the people at the hospital going to blame for all the teddy bears you’ve lined his bed with?”

“Uhh…”

“So what happens to his dog if you can’t visit him any more? Are you going to leave her on the doorsteps of the hospital?”

“I would never!”

“Then what’s the plan?”

Yuuri opened his mouth to say something then clamped his lips shut and turned away.

Phichit buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled scream. 

 

* * *

 

Yuuri had been at the hospital every single day for the past two weeks to visit Viktor. He could tell from the sombre way the people working at the hospital talked to him and looked at him that they truly felt sorry for him. He almost felt bad that he was keeping up this pretense, then he remembered that he wasn’t doing it for himself. He was doing it for Viktor. Viktor deserved the world and more, and he definitely deserved to have someone taking care of him and his dog while he was in a coma.

There was no shortage of flowers, fruit baskets and balloons that Yuuri took to Viktor’s ward. The owner of the gift shop on the ground floor of the hospital building has seen Yuuri so many times that he knew to display all the new arrangements before Yuuri even arrived at the hospital because he knew that Yuuri didn’t like getting repeats. He didn’t want to make it obvious that all the gifts were from the same person.

When he entered the ward, he used the same voice that he used to speak to animals in the shelter that he volunteered at -- low, unassuming and gentle. 

“Good morning, Viktor. It’s Yuuri again,” his eyes were sparkling with awe at how Viktor still managed to look so beautiful asleep, crusty-eyed and drooling, “How are you feeling today?”

Slowly, he approached the side of Viktor’s bed. He gently pulled over the chair so as to not make too much noise. He sighed softly as he lowered himself into the chair. His eyes were on Viktor’s hand the whole time and he was simply unable to muster the courage to touch it.

“Viktor,” his voice was trembling, “I know you’re probably tired of hearing from me, but… I feel like I know you. I know that I don’t, at least not as much as I like think I do but…”

Tears started welling up in his eyes and he took a quick glance at Viktor’s face to make sure he was still unconscious. He reached out to stroke Viktor’s cheek but he pulled his hand back before contact was made. 

“Viktor, please come back. It’s been two weeks and I’m losing hope.”

“Mr Katsuki?” was the voice that was accompanied by a gentle tap on his shoulder, “I don’t want to interrupt, but my schedule is fully booked and I need to quickly check your fiance’s vitals before I move on to the next patient on the list. I’ll be quick.”

“Of course, thank you,” he said, quickly wiping his tears off on the sleeves of his sweater and stepping aside so that she had more space to do her tests on Viktor.

When she was done and declared that Viktor was in good health, Yuuri released the breath he didn’t realise he was holding, praying that there would be nothing wrong with Viktor. After she left, he was back at Viktor’s side.

“You’re probably wondering how I’m able to spend so much time here. Don’t you have a job, you must be thinking. I do. I work as a clerk for Student Services at the university you walk through on your dog-walking route, so my degree in sociology has really helped in getting me industry-related work,” he stopped to laugh sardonically, “Someone from upper management saw me here while she was visiting her wife and gave me a month off from work to look after “my fiance”. That’s you, by the way. It’s just a really stupid mix-up.”

Yuuri smiled as he leaned back into the chair, causing it to creak slightly.

“I wish this wouldn’t end as soon as you wake up,” he whispered.

 

* * *

 

As Yuuri opened the door to his and Phichit’s apartment, he was slammed onto the floor by Viktor’s over-excited standard poodle who proceeded to lick his face thoroughly. 

“Aw, stop it, girl!” he giggled.

“Yuuri,” Phichit wheezed, “Good, you’re home. Take her for a walk please. I’m really tired and she has too much energy for her own good.”

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry for leaving you alone with her all day.”

“It’s no trouble. Just.. Please don’t make it a habit,” Phichit handed over the handle to her leash to Yuuri, “So how is he? Is he getting better? Worse?”

“Well, the doctor said that his condition has improved a little, but he’s really not that much better than when he was first hospitalised. They still don’t know why he isn’t waking up yet.”

“Perhaps we’re in a fictional alternate reality where things only happen because the plot demands it.”

“What?”

“Nevermind, I’ve just been studying too much. So have there been any signs of his family of friends?”

“No. I don’t know what to do,” Yuuri sighed, “Anyway, I’ll take her for her walk so you can relax a little. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As they stepped into daylight, Viktor’s dog barked in excitement and ran, dragging Yuuri along with her down the street. She seemed so sure of herself that Yuuri figured that this must have been one of the routes that Viktor always took her on. 

“Makkachin?” he heard a voice coming from behind him say, “Makka… MAKKACHIN!”

Yuuri could hear heavy footsteps against the concrete sidewalk behind him. Without thinking or looking back to see who it was, he started running away from them and sneaked through an alley straight back to where his apartment building was. 

He burst into the apartment, heaving and panting.

“Yuuri, what happened?”

“I got.. Well, I think… I think I got chased by someone screaming “Makkachin” at me. Their accent was Russian… Does “Makkachin” mean something in Russian?”

After a short pause, Phichit said, “Yuuri, I think you found someone that Viktor knows.”

“What?”

“Makkachin is the dog’s name. It’s on her tag.”

“Oh, I didn’t think to…”

“No, no, it’s fine. Just go back out there and look for him. You know what, I’ll go with you,” Phichit got up to pull his coat off the hanger, “It’s going to be okay, trust me.”

Phichit crossed the room to the door. He turned back to look at Yuuri.

“What’s wrong?”

“Does… Does this mean I won’t get to see Viktor anymore?”

“Hey, hey,” Phichit walked over to pull Yuuri into a hug, “It just means that we’re meeting someone who cares about him too, okay? We don’t know this person. Maybe they’re nice and will still let you visit! Either way, you know we have to meet them, right?”

Yuuri nodded against Phichit’s shoulder. 


	2. Chapter 2

Yuri was convinced that Viktor was dead.

In the past two weeks, Yuri had scoured every inch of St. Petersburg he had access to looking for his cousin, rinkmate and mentor to no avail. He even enlisted help from the older and larger men in the hockey team to look for Viktor in the sketchier parts of the city. Between his search and training for his senior debut at the Russian nationals, Yuri was on his last legs. He was almost resigned to the conclusion that Viktor, having been under all the pressure of maintaining his winning streak, had chosen to run away from the sport and hide within the ranks of the Bratva to make sure that he was completely off the grid. It was probably wise of him to do that. If Yakov ever caught wind that Viktor so much as considered quitting, he would have dragged him to the rink screaming. The Bratva may very well be the one thing that Yakov would feel powerless against to get to Viktor. 

Yet there he was walking along the streets neighbouring the skating rink, searching for any traces of Viktor during his lunch break. After a lot of begging and negotiating, Milla had finally agreed to keep Yuri’s activities a secret from the rest of the skating team. Being childhood friends with Milla had its perks -- there was a good chance that the biggest gossip on the team may actually keep her mouth shut for once if he begged enough. He knew that he would never be able to live down the humiliation of anyone thinking that he actually cared about the old fart, especially since he had just called her in the middle of the night the day before crying about how he had just dreamt that Viktor had fallen into a pond and had been eaten by a giant squid. Viktor could never find out how worried Yuri was about him. Yuri had a reputation to uphold.

“Where the hell could you possibly be, Viktor,” he grumbled as he walked along the empty suburban street close to the skating rink. 

Suddenly, he heard a familiar bark coming from across the street. It was coming from a dog that was practically a cloud of brown fur that was accompanied by a lean man who was a couple of inches taller than Yuri. He had never seen that man in his life, but he definitely recognised the dog.

“Makkachin?” he said, “Makka… MAKKACHIN!”

Without thinking, his legs started moving faster, his feet landing heavier blows onto the pavement, the tar, then the pavement again. There was no way that he made a mistake about the dog. Growing up, he had spent so much time with Makkachin that he could have picked her out from a line up of similarly-sized brown standard poodles while blindfolded.

Perhaps the man that Makkachin was with realised that he was in trouble because he started running too. He must have actually been an athlete because his form was impeccable and his speed was difficult for even Yuri to catch up to. Considering Yuri had already spent most of his energy training earlier that morning, this was a race that he definitely was not winning. Still, he wasn’t going to let them stop him. Viktor had already been missing for two weeks. He wasn’t going to let something as trivial as fatigue get in the way of him solving the mystery of his disappearance. 

“PICK UP, IT’S YAKOV, YOU IDIOT!”

He froze before realising where that was from. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and answered the call.

“YURA, WHERE ARE YOU? You are fifteen minutes late for training!”

“Yakov, you would not believe it,” he yelled into the receiver, struggling to catch his breath, “I just saw Makkachin. I tried to get to her but the man she was with just ran away. I couldn’t catch up!”

“Yura, the police just contacted me. They’ve found Viktor. He’s in the hospital.”

“WHAT?”   
“He almost got hit by a moving vehicle and someone pushed him out of traffic. It saved him, but his head hit the pavement and now he’s in a coma.” 

“Why didn’t they call me? I’m his emergency contact!”

“I asked them the same thing. They said it was because they assumed that his fiance would contact his family on their behalf and they apologise for the oversight.”

“His WHAT?”

“It surprised me too. I’ve been interrogating all the other skaters for the past fifteen minutes. Anyway, get back to the rink. We’ll all go to the hospital together.”

 

* * *

 

“Mr Plisetsky?”

Yuri looked up at the nurse that was standing a small distance away from him, whose body was tilting away from him as if he were about to take off at any minute.

“I’m… I’m really sorry about…”

“No, don’t be. I’m just relieved that we’ve finally found him,” he offered a slight smile.

“Yuuuu-ra….”

“Don’t start, Milla.”

Yuri stepped into the ward, wincing as he saw how weak and lifeless Viktor looked as a crumpled mess on the bed. He was hooked up to more monitors than Yuri even cared to count, if anything but to preserve his sanity. It was unnerving to see Viktor in such a state. He had always been his larger-than-life legendary figure skating cousin that it was difficult for him to see him as anything else. 

“Viktor,” he announced, “It’s Yuri. I’m coming in, you stupid old man.”

“Yuri, we’re going to grab coffee and leave you too alone for a bit. I’ll get you your favourite drink?” Milla said gently.

“Okay.”

Yuri waiting for Milla, Yakov and Georgi to leave him alone with Viktor before saying, “Okay, so who’s this fiance I’ve been hearing about? Do you have any idea how much he’s made us worry by not contacting any one of us? Do you know I saw Makka-”

Yuri stopped in his tracks. It finally clicked that the man that he saw Makkachin with must have been Viktor’s fiance. That didn’t explain why he bolted as soon as he heard him calling out Makkachin’s name. Unless Viktor told him to run away from any fans. That did sound a lot like Viktor. He was always a private person, even though he did a lot of interviews and meet-up events. All he ever showed his fans was a persona. It was nothing like the Viktor that Yuri grew up admiring up close. 

“When do I get to meet him, Viktor? Will you introduce him to me once you wake up?”

 

* * *

 

If Viktor’s fiance was worth his salt, he would know that Viktor was very particular about his routine for walking Makkachin. He would walk her down the street of his apartment building, through the St. Petersburg State University, and back to his apartment at 9AM, then later at 7PM without fail. He always took the same route so that the places were familiar to Makkachin and she’d be more willing to go at her own pace rather than warily taking one step at a time. 

So there Yuri was, sitting on a bench in the university along Viktor’s route, waiting impatiently for the elusive fiance to show up. He didn’t have to wait long because soon, he heard the sounds of Makkachin’s distinctive barks fill the almost-silence of the quiet school morning.

He looked up from his chocolate chip bagel and saw Makkachin pulling along someone who had a similar built to the man that he had seen the day before. His hair looked a little different, and he had darker skin, but Yuri immediately dismissed that thought. He decided that it was probably because he wasn’t paying that much attention during their first encounter. There couldn’t have been any other explanation. Without hesitation, he raised his voice at him.

“Oi, fiance of Viktor Nikiforov, stop right there at once!” he called out.

The man kept going. He seemed determined to avoid Yuri at all cost, but Yuri wasn’t going to let him get away this time. He picked up his bag that had been slumped against the side of the bench and ran after him. As soon as he got close enough, he reached out to grab him by the shoulder. 

“Exactly how many times are you going to keep running away from me?” he bellowed.

“Who… WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” Phichit shrieked as he pulled his earbuds off. 

“I am your fiance’s cousin who you ran from yesterday.”

“My what now?”

“Wait,” Yuri was genuinely confused at the man’s abject lack of understanding, but he kept going, “Is that not Viktor Nikiforov’s dog?”

Phichit sighed deeply as he slapped his forehead, “Of course…”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you and my roommate need to have a conversation regarding Viktor, but he’s working now and I don’t know how much I’m… allowed to say. And yes, this is Makkachin,” Phichit smiled softly at the dog that was now pawing at Yuri’s leg, probably excited with recognition.

They exchanged contact numbers and Phichit promised to contact him as soon as Yuuri gave him the green light to. It was then that Yuri realised that he was close to being late for training again, and he started jogging away as soon as he received a missed call from Phichit.

Before he got too far away, he called out, “Does this Yuuri person love Viktor?”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

 

* * *

 

“I don’t understand. If they loved each other so much that they were planning on getting married, why hasn’t he told any one of us?” Milla wondered out loud.

“Probably because he knows that you and your big mouth will be spilling it to every tabloid magazine in the world.”

“Touche. Still, it is odd isn’t it? Do you even know what he looks like yet?”

“I’ll known soon. I asked his roommate for a photograph.”

Just as he said that, there came a ping from his phone.. He opened up the messaging application to look at the photographs.

“He’s cute,” Milla said as she leaned over Yuri’s shoulder, “I don’t blame Viktor for keeping him a secret. An obsessed fan may do something to hurt him if that photograph ever got shared to the public. 

“Cute or not, if he hurts Viktor…,” his thought was interrupted by the sight of Milla biting her lip down, stifling a chuckle, “Well, you know.”

“Well, he doesn’t look like the type who’d do that, so I think you can relax now.”

“How can you be sure, though? Like, really sure?”

“Yuri…”

“Remember that redhead who he was crazy for?”

Milla stiffened up considerably, “Please, you know how uncomfortable I am talking about Arkady after he…”

Yuri almost slapped himself for forgetting, “Of course, I’m sorry Milla.”

“I… I understand what you mean but… This Yuuri seems different.”

“You know, I sure do hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a Victor and Arkady backstory that I have in my head, but I'm not planning to include that in the next chapter. But if you're interested, here's a brief overview: Arkady was abusive and Milla got badly hurt trying to protect Viktor. 
> 
> Chapter 3 is in the works but I'm honestly not sure how soon it'll be out. It'll be the last chapter, and it'll probably be in Viktor's POV.
> 
> I'd love to know what you think my writing. Please leave comments! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation. As always, thank you for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

Viktor’s body felt pumped full of lead. He tried to peel open his eyelids, but it was like they had been sewn shut. Trying to search his memories for any explanation for his current state only brought back the image of a beautiful raven-haired man running towards him from across the street. He figured that he must have been walking Makkachin that morning, as per usual. Neither points seemed likely to have led him to where he was then. 

_ “Good morning, Viktor. It’s Yuuri again. How are you feeling today?” _

Yuri? The talented fifteen-year-old edgy blond skater he was rinkmates with? Yuri, his cousin? He didn’t sound anything like him, though. He sounded sweet, gentle, completely devoid of Yuri’s angst-ridden personality. He noticed the way that the voice dragged out the “u” in “Yuri”. Viktor decided that it must have been someone, a fan perhaps, pretending to be Yuri. It made sense. Yuri was his emergency contact. It was possible that Yuri misplaced his phone or had gotten it stolen by this… Yuuri person. 

_ “Viktor, I know you’re probably tired of hearing from me, but… I feel like I know you. I know that I don’t, at least not as much as I like think I do but…” _

He was convinced that his theory was correct. 

Viktor felt like he was still attached to his body but every sensation seemed distant and unfamiliar -- like his mail had been intercepted and part of it torn off before being handed to him. Even then, he was sure that he felt warmth radiating off… something… and onto his cheek. Yuuri was close to him, close to touching him. If he could have said anything, he would have told him to go ahead. He desperately wanted to confirm that he was still very much alive.

_ “Viktor, please come back. It’s been two weeks and I’m losing hope.” _

He focus immediately locked on “two weeks”. 

_ “Mr Katsuki? I don’t want to interrupt, but my schedule is fully booked and I need to quickly check your fiance’s vitals before I move on to the next patient on the list. I’ll be quick.” _

_ “Of course, thank you.” _

He responded to the last name “Katsuki”. That sounded nothing like Yuri’s last name, Plisetsky. That man wasn’t impersonating Yuri. He was a completely different person. The big question was no longer “Who is he?”. It was “Why is he here?”. 

He barely noticed the second person touching him. He was too fixated on the word “fiance”. He couldn’t understand how this man could possibly be his fiance when he hadn’t seen anyone, even casually, in the last seven years.

_ “You’re probably wondering how I’m able to spend so much time here. Don’t you have a job, you must be thinking. I do. I work as a clerk for Student Services at the university you walk through on your dog-walking route, so my degree in sociology has really helped in getting me industry-related work. Someone from upper management saw me here while she was visiting her wife and gave me a month off from work to look after “my fiance”. That’s you, by the way. It’s just a really stupid mix-up.” _

“What mix-up?” Viktor wanted to shout.

_ “I wish this wouldn’t end as soon as you wake up,” he whispered. _

“Please,” Viktor prayed, “Please let this end.”

 

* * *

 

_ “Viktor.” _

“Yuuri.”

_ “The doctor told me that you may wake up soon.” _

“That’s good news.”

_ “I’m very happy for you. Being hospitalised for so long is definitely going to affect your skating. I… I’m sorry, I’ve never been too interested in sports. I googled your name out of curiosity and found out that you’re a pretty well-known skater. This can’t be good for your career.” _

“That’s an understatement, but it’s sweet that you care so much.”

_ “You know, I’ve never been ice skating before. Could you maybe teach me when you get out of here?” _

“If my muscles haven’t atrophied yet, you have yourself a deal,” he thought fondly, “And if you’d let me, I’d even take you out to dinner for keeping me company all this while.”

_ “I’m just pulling your leg. I know you probably wouldn’t want that.” _

“That’s not true, Yuuri.”

The silence became unbearably loud.

“Please, Yuuri. You’re the only way I still know I exist. Please, don’t stop talking. Please, don’t leave me here all alone.”

_ “I don’t think I can visit you anymore,” Viktor could hear his voice quivering. _

“Please don’t say that.”

_ “Someone… I think someone you know… Caught me walking Makkachin. He didn’t seem too pleased. I’m afraid that he’d do something to me for lying and keeping you from your real family.” _

“Yuuri, you’re my family now too. Please don’t leave me.”

_ “It has been nice spending all this time with you even if you won’t remember me.” _

“I will remember. I swear I will.”

_ “Farewell, Viktor.” _

“Yuuri, please don’t go.”

_ “I love you.” _

There had never been a moment like that in Viktor’s entire life -- a moment when he wished he could hold onto someone tighter than he ever had before, a moment when he actually wished he could cry.

 

* * *

 

_ “Viktor, It’s Yuri. I’m coming in, you stupid old man.” _

The name caught his attention. If he could sit up, he would have done that. Then the realisation struck him -- it wasn’t his Yuuri.

_ “Yuri, we’re going to grab coffee and leave you too alone for a bit. I’ll get you your favourite drink?” _

Viktor was certain that the voice belonged to Milla, another skater he often trained with. He wondered if she would have liked his Yuuri. He thought she would.

_ “Okay.” _

Yuri must have been waiting for the others that he came with to leave them alone.

_ “Okay, so who’s this fiance I’ve been hearing about? Do you have any idea how much he’s made us worry by not contacting any one of us? Do you know I saw Makka-” _

“I don’t know who he is either, Yuri. He just waltzed into my life and now he’s gone. Please help me find him.”

_ “When do I get to meet him, Viktor? Will you introduce him to me once you wake up?” _

 

* * *

 

“Yuu-ri,” Viktor mumbled as he came to.

His eyelids trembled at the shock of artificial light for the first time in almost two months. He could feel his body, but it was limp and weak. He cursed the thought of having to work back up to the fitness level and strength he needed to skate. There was a really high chance that he’d have to sit that season out.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw Yuri sitting on the bedside chair, eyes widened and crazed.

“You remember?” he gasped, “I can’t believe you remember his name. What else do you remember, Viktor?”

“I need to see him. Where is he?”

“I-”

“Yuri,” as his voice escaped him, it felt like it was clawing at his throat. He coughed, “Please.”

Hands shaking, Yuri pressed the button at the side of Viktor’s bed to call for the nurse to check on him. As they waited for the nurse, Yuri stood up to pour Viktor a cup of water.

“He won’t be visiting anymore. But if you promise to do what you can to get out of here sooner, I promise that I’ll take you to him,” he said, holding out the cup of water, two fingers keeping the straw in place.

Viktor took a long sip from the straw. At first, the water stung his throat. Then gradually, it soothed it.

“You’ve met him? What is he like?”

“He’s…,” Yuri couldn’t help but smile, “He’s perfect for you. He loves with his whole heart.”

 

* * *

 

“Hi there, how can I-”

It was him. It was the beautiful raven-haired man who ran towards him from across the street. The doctor told him that he did it to save his life. Then he stayed with him, keeping him sane while he was trapped in what he thought was an inescapable prison. He took care of his dog.

“Yuuri,” he breathed.

Yuuri looked up and straight at him, evidently blind sided. 

“H-h-hello. Can I help you?”

“Go out with me.”

“What? But I don’t know you.”

“Yes you do,” Viktor took long strides across the floor, closing the gap between them, “Go out with me.”

“I-I-I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are.”

Viktor froze. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why Yuuri was pretending not to know him. As he felt his heart sink into his stomach, he tried one last time.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone.  _ It has been nice spending all this time with you even if you won’t remember me. _ ”

A tear rolled down Yuuri’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, okay, this is finally completed. I was worried there for a bit, what with my terrible writer's block. It's done, and I'm so freaking relieved.
> 
> I really hope you like this one. I tried my best.
> 
> Alright, a huge shout out to all the people who have been really nice and supportive to me: @inkuisitivskins, @eclair, @d2diamond, @anglmukhii. You can find all of them on tumblr. There are a few more who I'm not sure if they are comfortable with me naming so I'll leave the list at that first. Thank you for helping me get through my writing block. I really appreciate it.
> 
> To everyone who gave me kudos and commented, thank you so much. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to finish this story if it weren't for all of you.
> 
> And to everyone who's waiting on the Lilo & Stitch AU, I'm already working on chapter 2! I know I said I'd update that first, but I eventually decided that I wanted to finish this fic first so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few of you requested an epilogue so I decided to write one. It isn't long, but I hope that you like it!

Yuuri has never liked the cold. Since he and Phichit moved to Russia from Detroit together, Yuuri still hadn’t gotten used to the harsh Russian winters. But as he placed a finger to his lips after receiving a blown kiss from Viktor who had moved to the centre of the ice rink to start his free programme, all he felt in his chest was warmth. He turned to his right after Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder.

“He wanted it to be a surprise so he didn’t let you watch him in trainings. I’ve seen him skate the programme. You’ll love it.”

Yuuri was about to mutter an awkward thanks when the voice of the announcer blared from the public announcement system.

“Please put your hands together to welcome Viktor Nikiforov, returning to the ice two years after an accident that put him in a coma!”

“Don’t worry, Katsudon, he’ll be fine,” Yuri reassured him, still keeping his hand on his shoulder.

Yuuri released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding and kept his eyes on Viktor. Then, the music started to play.

_ “I hear a voice weeping in a distance. Have you maybe been abandoned as well?” _

Yuuri gasped. It had been the song they slow-danced to at Viktor’s close friend, Christophe’s wedding. 

_ “Come now, I’ll quickly finish this glass of wine. I’ll start to get ready. Be quiet now.” _

It was after that that he had proposed to Viktor in the privacy of their hotel room.

_ “Stay close to me, don’t go away. I’m afraid of losing you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know what you think my writing. Comments would be very much welcomed! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Again, shoutout to [@inkuisitivskins](https://inkuisitivskins.tumblr.com/) for beta reading and helping me out with the ideas for this fic. If you like Fullmetal Alchemist and would like to read amazing fics about it, hope over to her AO3 page [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkuisitivSkins/pseuds/InkuisitivSkins)
> 
> I'd love to know what you think my writing. Please leave comments! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3


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